Yachts for Sale

Aberton Yachts specialises in the sale and construction of motor yachts. Our portfolio includes planing, performance, displacement and semi-displacement yachts, as well as trawler and explorer yachts with extended range and autonomy.

We do not handle sailing yachts or wooden-hulled vessels. This is a deliberate limitation: we only accept assignments in areas where we can rely on our own technical and brokerage expertise. Each category is managed by specialists with more than ten years of experience.

This is one of the first questions we discuss with a prospective owner. The right answer depends on more than the preferred number of cabins. We need to understand the entire intended use: the family group, the number of regular guests, the length of planned cruises, any charter plans and the expected level of service. The broker then tests that brief against the practical demands of operating the yacht and recommends an appropriate configuration.

For family use without a permanent crew on board, two or three guest cabins are usually sufficient on a yacht of up to 24 metres, with four as a practical maximum. If the owner expects to entertain guests regularly or host events on board, crew accommodation and the required service level should be planned from the outset.

With experience, an owner can learn to handle a yacht of this size, but the captain has responsibilities far beyond taking the helm. The captain is responsible for the safety of the yacht and everyone on board, passage planning, the operational readiness of the equipment and oversight of technical maintenance. Other crew members manage provisioning, guest service, housekeeping and the care of interior and exterior areas. This work is carried out every day, including when the yacht is in the marina and the owner is not on board.

For yachts up to 15–17 metres, a captain alone may be sufficient. A yacht of around 24 metres will often require a captain and a further two or three crew members. On a motor yacht of 30 metres or more with five or six cabins, the crew may comprise four or five people even when the yacht is used privately by a small family group. This level of staffing is required for safety, proper service and maintaining the yacht to the required technical and presentation standard.

These figures are guidelines. The precise crew complement depends on the yacht's design, cruising area, flag, insurance requirements and intended use. Commercial charter also introduces specific registration and crew-accommodation requirements. Aberton Yachts helps to define the right crew complement and recruit suitable professionals for the yacht's operating region and programme.

A motor yacht of up to 15–17 metres will usually have two or three guest cabins. When assessing the layout, look beyond the cabin count and the apparent size of the spaces. The details most easily missed during a first viewing include:

• wardrobes and other storage spaces — there is almost always less storage than the owner expects;
• the number and position of bathrooms: whether they are shared between cabins or en suite, and whether the showers are genuinely comfortable to use;
• fresh-water tank capacity, whether a watermaker is fitted and its output — these factors determine the yacht's real autonomy away from a marina;
• the position of the galley — for efficient service on a smaller yacht, it should preferably not be located on the lower deck;
• shade over exterior areas — without an awning or hardtop, part of the deck may be unusable during the hottest hours of the day;
• the arrangement of exterior areas: whether there is enough space for every guest to relax and whether the main circulation routes across the deck conflict;
• access to equipment for servicing and repairs — an impressive finish should not make routine technical work unnecessarily difficult.

These points may look secondary on a general arrangement plan, but in daily use they determine whether the yacht works well for the owner, guests and crew.

On yachts of 24 metres and above, the demands on the layout grow along with the available space. Guest and crew circulation should be separated, as should guest and service areas. Crew accommodation, stores, galley operations and laundry facilities all require careful planning. The garage must be assessed separately: which tenders and water toys it can accommodate, and how easily they can be launched and recovered. These are layout questions alone, before the yacht's technical systems are considered.

Aberton Yachts sells motor yachts and also works with shipyards on their design. We therefore assess a layout by how it will function in real operation and maintenance, rather than by its renderings or overall area.

We begin by defining the type of yacht the client needs, the available budget and the target date for taking delivery. The purchase of a pre-owned yacht normally follows several stages. Their order and the applicable terms depend on the contract, the jurisdiction and the yacht concerned.

1. Define the requirements, budget and preferred delivery date.
2. Search on-market and off-market opportunities, analyse the options and prepare a shortlist.
3. Inspect the selected yachts and discuss their advantages, limitations and likely future costs.
4. Submit an offer to the seller and negotiate the price, timetable, place of completion and payment terms.
5. Sign the sale and purchase agreement and pay the deposit to the agreed stakeholder.
6. Conduct the sea trial and technical survey, after which the buyer proceeds as provided in the contract: accepting the yacht, rejecting it or proposing revised terms.
7. Complete legal due diligence on the yacht and the seller and prepare the completion documents.
8. Pay the balance, sign the transfer documents and complete physical delivery of the yacht to the buyer.

A technical survey is not a formality. Even a conscientious seller may be unaware of every defect or item of deferred maintenance. Pre-owned yachts in near-perfect condition are rare. A properly conducted survey establishes the yacht's actual condition and, where the contract allows, may give the buyer grounds to reject the yacht or renegotiate the terms and purchase price.

International transactions often use the MYBA Memorandum of Agreement, although the parties may agree a different contract. The signed agreement governs whether the deposit is refundable, the grounds on which the buyer may reject the yacht and the consequences of defects found during due diligence. Aberton Yachts' brokers and appointed lawyers explain these provisions to the client before the deposit is paid.

The purchase process for a new stock yacht includes a quality inspection, acceptance and arrangements for warranty support. A new-build project also requires agreement on the technical brief, specification and shipyard contract, followed by technical supervision from keel laying through delivery. After delivery, the specialists oversee warranty work, which is often scheduled for the winter period. Taking a project from the initial idea and sketches to a completed yacht requires a team of several technical specialists, not a broker working alone.

Once the offer has been accepted, the parties record the terms of the transaction in a contract and the buyer pays the deposit within the agreed period. Technical and legal due diligence then proceed in parallel.

The technical work includes the inspection, sea trial and survey, together with checks on the equipment and its service history. The specialists identify defects and potential warranty claims, estimate the cost of the required work and determine which findings can reasonably be raised in this type of transaction. They then recommend the appropriate next steps under the contract.

The legal work covers legal title, the chain of ownership, registration status, encumbrances and the yacht's documentation, as well as preparation for payment and completion. Once the contractual conditions have been met, the buyer pays the balance, the parties sign the transfer documents and the yacht is delivered to the buyer. Registration under the chosen flag, insurance and any other required formalities are then completed.

A transaction can be completed without a broker, but many of the most consequential mistakes are made before the legal work begins, when the yacht is selected. A strong legal team can verify the documents, but it may not be equipped to assess the yacht type, layout, technical characteristics or suitability for the owner's intended use.

The client is buying a way of spending time, not merely an asset. Choosing the wrong yacht type or the wrong capabilities can make ownership frustrating, lead to disappointment and, in the worst case, a subsequent sale at significant cost.

An Aberton Yachts broker represents the buyer's interests and coordinates the parties and advisers involved in the transaction. The broker's work includes:

• analysing the market and identifying suitable motor yachts;
• comparing the options in detail, discussing their strengths, limitations and future costs, and narrowing the shortlist to two or three yachts;
• arranging viewings and negotiations with the seller;
• preparing the offer and negotiating the transaction terms;
• coordinating the survey, sea trial and work of relevant specialists;
• supporting the legal work alongside appointed lawyers, including checks on the owner and the yacht's documents;
• organising completion and delivery of the yacht;
• assisting with registration, insurance, crew recruitment and ongoing yacht management.

This is only a general outline. A single transaction may require brokers, lawyers, surveyors, marine engineers, the captain and other technical specialists to work together. The precise scope of support depends on the type and status of the yacht and the structure of the transaction.

Yes. The sale and purchase agreement will normally provide for an inspection and sea trial. They allow the engines, systems and equipment to be tested under different operating conditions. The sea trial forms part of the technical due diligence but does not replace a full survey of the yacht.

In practice, a sea trial often lasts around four hours, but this is not a universal rule. Its duration depends on the yacht and the parties' agreement. The captain, marine engineer, surveyor and other relevant specialists may attend to assess the equipment under different operating conditions.

The sea trial is normally conducted after the parties have documented the buyer's offer, including the price, completion date, payment arrangements, principal inventory provisions and other terms of the transaction. Before the trial, the buyer signs the agreed document and pays the deposit into the broker's client account or to another agreed stakeholder. Sellers rarely agree to a sea trial before the deposit has been paid. The contract determines the precise trial procedure and the parties' rights following its results.